The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1887-09-24

A Detailed Account Of the Seasons
Work in the New District.
A NEW COUNTRY THAT WILL DE
TRIBUTARY TO KETCnUM.

The Sheep Mountain country
which has attracted considerable
attention during the past season.
promises to become one Of the i'm.
portant mining regions of this part
of the territory. Owing to its pres.
ent isolation, it has been impossible
to secure anything like a tangible
or comprehensive report of the re-
suit of the present seasons work
until the present week, when infor.
nation of a reliable nature has been
secured from parties direct from
the new camp. The first discovery
of mincral-bearing rock in the
vicinity of Sheep mountain was
made during the campaign of Col
Bernard against a band of vaga.
bond Indians known rs the "Sheep.
eaters" deriving such name from
the fact of their main supply OF
food being the mountain sheep
Manuel FOntas was with the com
mand at the time, and his expert
cnced eye detected the presence o.
precious metal existing in the rocks
of that wild and hitherto almost
inaccessible region. In 1881 FOn'
tas returned to the country, and
with him came Ike and James Dai
ley, l.. A. Rhoades, Jack Bowers
Ed. Baird, George Baldwin, Pal
and Jack Bowling and several 9th.
ers whose names now escape the
memory. Here was
HARDY BAND OF PROSECUTORS
All eager to make strike, but the
vicissitudes and trials of mining
life proved no stranger to them il
their latest endcavOr, and it ha!
been the labor of several years t.
really accomplish sufficient wOrl
to make anything like showing
The difficulties Of transportation
has always been the one great ba
to extensive operations, but nov
the prospects are so much brighter
the developments made of sucl
brilliant promise that the question
of building a town has been agitatet
during the past few weeks, and I
location selected for such site. TIN
chief object in the building of 1
town IL tn secure q location tina
will always he available, and a poin
on Rapid river called Junction pos
sesses this great requirement, beini
easy Of access and provided b.
nature with many of the prim
essentials. Water, timber and fee
abound, and from here the trail
divergc leading to Sheep mountain
Seafoam and DeadwOod. No bette
location for the erection of a mi
or smelling plant could be foun
than at Junction, and such plar
will become an urgent necessity i
a short time, to meet the demand
of the growing district. A WACO
road from Ketchum is
AN URGENT NEED,
And the ease with which it coul
be constructed over a natural rou
commends the project to the fave
of all. This road, going in clio:
proximity to the Buckskin mil
and by the new cutoff, avoidin
f nearly all the marshy groun'
should be built next spring. Or
of the principal owners in the di
trict remarked, while in Kctchul
during the week, that he and Othe
+ would prefer to supply their neee
at Ketchum rather than at Bots
, and if a road was built they woul
: do it, and not only that but al:
help to build the road. Shet
mountain proper is about 40 mile
northwest from Ketchum, and CO.
, tains n number of claims that ha'
! been energetically worked duril
the present season, and Il report
here given of the progress made
a number:
, THE MOUNTAIN KING
r Is owned by Messrs. Bowers, Dali
Q and Nick Johnson of Boise Git
| and Sweet IL Co. of Bonanza.
, prospecting tunnel has been n
, i5O feet and at a depth of 30 fe
!. from the surface. a ledge clev'
a feet in width has been travcrs'
1 with no sign of a wall yet, and
cross-cut is being run northwar
The property is being developed
miner.like style, and no attem
# has been made to take out any O
n for shipment, and will not be un
: it is in good working shape al
n plenty of good Stopping ground
I view.
a THE ALTIE JOHNSON
c Is one of the oldest locations in {
! district, and is owned by Jol
Lemp, John S. Gray and Ma
! Chapman, all of Boise City.
II shaft has been sunk and a tunr
extended for some distance.
the groupings the ore was inclin
I to be base, but as depth is attain
!. it grows frcer. A ledge three II
v in width is now exposed showing
= good character of ore, about 70 to
4 of which, necessarily taken out